Of Fathers and daughters
by RED78910
Summary: After Liara T'Soni becomes the new Shadow Broker she finally learns who her father is and just where to find her. Plagued with questions about her parents, Liara goes to meet this mysterious Matriarch Aethyta. What will the young asari learn about herself and her family when she and her father meet? Set in between 'Guess Who I Brought to Dinner' and 'The Battle for the Dawn.'
1. The Father

**A/N** : A very special thank you goes out to **Desert Sunrise** for helping me come up with my Eclipse characters. If you haven't read their stuff yet, you really should. **DS** , you are amazing.

Secondly, as this exact scenario never happened in the games I've changed various things around to make this story possible. So just to clarify now, yes I know the timeline is off. Yes, I know this is not going to match up with the games. These changes are intentional, and I ask that you just ignore those trivial little details, sit back, and enjoy the ride.

Third, **The Unsung War** is still ongoing! I'm just stuck in a rut so to speak, and I'm hoping this will get me back in the habit of writing. The story will continue!

Fourth, since in my mind the Krogan are the Mandalorians of the Mass Effect universe, I've decided to make their languages one and the same for this continuity (which includes all of my stories to date).

 _Ad'ika:_ Kid, lad, boy, sweetie, darling, son, daughter, child, etc.

 **Disclaimer: Mass Effect is the property of EA and Bioware. I do not own it, or any other movie, video game, song, book, or any other form of media I may reference in this story, and I make no money off of its publication. This work is entirely fictional. Any characters that may bear resemblance to any persons alive or dead is purely coincidental. Any opinions or beliefs expressed in this story are purely those of the character and not necessarily those of the author.**

* * *

 **Of Fathers and Daughters**

 **Illium. 2185.**

Liara T'Soni stood in front of the main entrance to the bar Eternity and sighed as she read the message from the troops she sent in ahead of her arrival:

 _All clear._

Two small words, but they meant a lot to the asari who read them. They meant that there was now nothing except a door and perhaps a three minute walk standing in her way from finally meeting her father.

The Shadow Broker, who was dressed in a dark red robe with black sleeves, began to pace nervously back and forth in front of the door for a few seconds before her companion went over to her and hugged her from behind and began to whisper in her ear, "You know we don't have to do this if you don't want to. God, you weren't even this nervous when I took you to meet my mom."

Liara nodded and leaned into her bondmate and whispered back, "That's because I was meeting one of your parents Jessica, not mine."

Commander Jessica Shepard, a tall human woman with light colored skin, hair dyed a fiery red color, and blue eyes nodded and replied, "True, but you still only know about this person from what I've told you. Sure, she seemed nice to me, but I only talked to her once. Besides, she wasn't ever in your life when you were growing up, so it's not like you owe her a visit or anything."

Liara stepped out of Jessica's embrace, turned around, and asked in a surprised voice, "Didn't you want me to come here and at least be able to say that I've _met_ my father?"

Jessica, who was dressed in a pair of dark brown pants, a grey shirt, and a black unzipped jacket explained, "Yeah, but I didn't think you would be this nervous about it. I just want you to be sure this is something you're going to be OK with Liara. If you don't want to see her, I don't see how anyone could hold it against you."

Liara nodded and thought about her options for a minute. The last several days had been such a flurry of activity she hardly knew how she came to be in this situation.

About a week prior there had been an attempt on her life by a rogue Spectre working for the Shadow Broker over some intelligence Liara had acquired at her home office on Thessia. Jessica and her team had arrived in time to eliminate the corrupt Spectre, and soon were taking the fight to the Shadow Broker himself.

The fight against the Yahg and his forces had been a long one, but not overly difficult. None of the squad Jessica and Liara had taken with them had even been injured, though they were rather fatigued afterward. When the fight was over Liara had taken over the Network as the new Broker and offered the few remaining soldiers alive on the ship a choice: they could work for her, they could surrender and would be given safe passage to the nearest colonized world, or they could die fighting for their now deceased employer.

The five remaining Shadow Broker troops had all wisely decided to work for Liara.

After a short period of rest that allowed Jessica and Liara to catch up and talk about how their lives were and where they were going in their relationship, Liara had taken all the necessary equipment to run her new information network from the Broker ship, along with her new employees, to her family's estate on Thessia while Jessica took her crew to Illium to recruit more team members for her mission.

After recruiting two more squad members and stopping an attempted kidnapping on the part of some Eclipse soldiers, the Normandy was put into dry-dock for various upgrades Jessica and her crew believed they needed to survive their mission. After giving her crew an extended shore leave, Jessica boarded the first available ship bound for Thessia. It was there, not long after the human arrived, that Liara had discovered the answer to a secret that had bothered her for as long as she could remember: who was her father?

She had that answer now. And although she had found the answer out more by accident than by actually looking for it, she couldn't resist the opportunity to finally meet her long lost sire.

At least, she thought she couldn't.

She had been determined when she, Jessica, and her new squad of bodyguards had first set out. Jessica had been very supportive of the idea, but the new Shadow Broker's resolve had only weakened since the group had arrived in Nos Astra. Liara had done her best to keep her will to see this Matriarch Aethyta, but there were doubts beginning to surface.

Why did she never know her father growing up? Did she not want to be a part of her daughter's life because she was a Pureblood? Were there obligations she had to meet that caused her parents to split up? Did her mother just get herself pregnant and abandon her lover? Did her father just not care about the child she helped create and left as soon as she learned Benezia was going to have their child?

All these thoughts were racing through Liara's head as she looked Jessica in the eye and said, "It's not about wanting to finally meet her or not Jessica. This is about having questions answered that I've had as far back as I can remember. I'm truly hoping for the best, but in truth I do not expect much to come from this meeting. As long as I can get my questions answered and obtain some sense of closure, I will be satisfied. Now then, let's get this done before my nerves get the better of me."

Jessica nodded, and the two walked into the bar together, Jessica holding Liara's hand as they crossed the threshold. The human feeling Liara's hand twitch and begin to sweat not long after they entered the establishment.

The bar itself was dimly lit, but fairly well spread out, with several dozen tables and booths filling the room. The bar had several windows that had the shades drawn down giving a spectacular view of the Nos Astra skyline. There were stages and tables lining the walls that dancers would entertain the patrons on, a few vid-screens playing whatever news or sports network the customers wanted, and a single, long bar at the far end of the room.

As they were entering the place in the middle of the day, there was only a single half naked dancer walking slowly around one of the poles, Liara's father herself working behind the bar, and the five Shadow Broker troops that had been sent in earlier to provide security.

The troops had taken seats near the bar with their faces all facing outward watching the various doorways and windows. The team Liara had brought with her consisted of two human males, who were sitting together, a female human and a salarian male, who were sitting on opposite ends of the bar at separate tables, and an asari who was sitting at the bar and was glancing back between her new boss and the bartender.

Liara stopped about 10 meters from the bar and took a good look at her sire. Aethyta had a medium shade of purple skin, a fairly slim figure for an asari of her age, and looked to be near Liara's height. The bartender wore a red and brown robe.

 _This is her? This is the asari that mother mapped the DNA of to produce me? She looks so...common. So ordinary. Mother_ never _did common or ordinary things. What did she see in her?_

Jessica looked over at Liara and smiled, "Want me to go test the waters first?"

Liara looked confused for a minute before she deciphered the idiom and nodded. Nodding, the human released her bondmate's hand and slowly walked over to where Aethyta was standing. A place that, Liara had finally noticed, she was standing as still as a statue in and had a look on her face that Liara couldn't decide was one of pure shock or one of fear.

 _Maybe it is a bit of both_. _After all, who would expect a child over 100 years old to mysteriously turn up one day and start demanding answers like 'where in the Abyss were you all my life?!'_

Shaking such thoughts from her mind, Liara observed Jessica as she approached Aethyta and the two began to talk. Liara noticed the two looking back and actually smiling for some reason.

Before the Shadow Broker could try to guess what they might be smiling about, Jessica began to wave her over. Liara took a deep breath, focused all her energy on just completing the task she came here for, and slowly began to walk over to the bar. All the way there the Shadow Broker's heart was beating at twice its normal speed, her mouth was as dry as the Tuchankan sand, and she was fairly sure if she had eaten anything before she came here, she would about ready to regurgitate it.

Eventually, Liara reached the bar, returned a smile at Jessica and looked over at the bartender, who seemed to have a genuinely warm smile of her own.

Aethyta offered in a friendly but neutral tone, "Hey babe. Want a drink? On the house, courtesy of what you're friend here's done for this part of town over the last few weeks."

Liara found it surprisingly easy to return her father's smile as she responded, "Yes, I believe I would like that...father."

For a minute, the whole galaxy seemed to stop for both of the asari. Parent and child stood still as stone, neither so much as breathing for the better part of a minute before Aethyta clenched her fists, let out a long sigh, hung her head, and admitted in a shame filled whisper, "Yep, that's...that's me."

Looking back up at Liara she said as she presented her with a shot of a light blue colored asari liqueur, "Looks like you finally tracked me down. You have a lot of questions I bet."

Jessica walked over to Liara and whispered, "I'll leave you two alone."

Liara was a bit surprised at that, "You...you're not staying?"

Jessica shrugged, "I think this is probably something you'd want to be alone for. I'll be right back here if you need me."

With that, the human kissed Liara briefly, nodded at Aethyta, and went down to sit at a nearby empty table.

Turning back to her father, Liara sat down on a stool, took the shot, and stared at her sire for a long while before she commented, "You know, I've always imagined one day meeting you, but never in my life, in all the possible scenarios I came up with, did I ever imagine meeting my father in a small and seedy bar in the middle of Illium."

Looking somewhere between being ready to cry and ready to scream in some confusing mix of anger, sadness, and disbelief, Aethyta could only nod and pour herself a shot, commenting right before she took it, "Yeah well, this ain't exactly how I imagined meeting you either, _ad'ika_."

Liara sighed as Aethyta poured them both another round and asked, "So, what finally brought us together?"

Liara took her shot and answered, "That's a story for another day I'm afraid. For now, I have a lot of questions I'd like you to answer, if you'd be so inclined."

Aethyta nodded and Liara began in as neutral a voice as she could, "I feel it is fairly safe to assume you already know a fair bit about me given the amount of press coverage on my recent activities, but I know nothing about you. So, tell me about yourself."

Aethyta had a surprised and, if Liara was right, genuinely hurt look on her face as she asked, "You...don't know anything about me?" Liara shook her head and Aethyta went on, "Your mother she never...spoke of me? Never mentioned me? Not even once?"

For some reason, despite the fact that Liara had never met the asari in front of her and had good reason to feel resentful of her, she felt only sympathy for her. She felt a strange and deeply cutting sadness in her heart as she shook her head, not even being able to say the words out loud.

Aethyta let out a small sigh and hung her head and placed her hands on the bar counter at the news, "Oh. Well um...alright then."

Liara could see a few tears beginning to form in the older asari's eyes as she stated, "Not all that surprised really. I'd probably want to forget me too."

Liara's feelings of sympathy got the better of her and she reached out with her hands and placed them on top of her father's as she tried to console her, "No, she most certainly did _not_ forget you. Once, when I was no more than 20 or so, I asked mother who my father was. When she heard the question, mother instantly lost the happy and serene expression she previously had and only said that my father was an asari.

"When I asked further, the look on her face turned to one of such misery as I had never seen on her before, and she only sent me away and told me to study or practice my biotics or at least do something useful until it was time to eat. I did, only when the household staff had assembled in the dining hall, she wasn't there. When I had finished eating, I went to mother's room to see if she was alright. When I opened the door she was curled up on the bed crying."

Liara had a voice filled with sadness and regret as she went on, "I...I had never before, nor after, seen mother cry. I felt so horrible for making that happen that I simply felt it best not to ask again."

The Shadow Broker looked Aethyta in the eyes and told her honestly, "I don't know why mother never told me about you, but I know this for certain: she _never_ forgot you. She may not have told me of you, but I know for a fact you must have left an indelible impression on her for mother to have acted in such a way."

Aethyta looked Liara in the eye with a grateful look and even managed a small smile, "Really? That's...the best news I've heard in a long while. Thanks for telling me."

Liara actually felt good about bringing a smile to her father's face. Smiling back, she folded her hands in front of her, sat up a bit straighter, and said in a polite voice, "You are welcome. I...I believe we may have started this conversation badly. Perhaps we might start over? Please, I truly want to know about you."

Wiping the excess fluid from her eyes Aethyta said, "Well, there's not really too much to tell honestly. See, unlike you, I don't have some ancient lineage going back tens of thousands of years, but I'll try to keep this interesting. Let me know if you get bored."

Pouring them both another round, Aethyta began to tell Liara, "Well, let's see. I grew up on Lusia, did alright in school, but never nearly as well as I heard you did. Mom was actually a Matriarch herself if you can believe that. Dad was a Krogan and he-"

Liara couldn't help but interrupt and asked with a shocked expression, "Wait, your father was a _krogan_?"

Aethyta nodded, "Yep, and he was the best damn father I could ever have asked for. He taught me a lot. Like how in life the only master you should only ever serve is yourself; that nobody should ever lord over you. That you're not defined by what makes up your biology, you're defined by your actions and words. That every single life form in the universe is to be treated equally. Not always the same, but equally. And most importantly of all, that you have to decide for yourself what course you take in life. At the end of this pointless game of pain and misery called existence, we all end up in the same place. It's how we get there that determines who we are."

Liara was surprised at this. Though she had forged a strong friendship with Urdnot Wrex on the _Normandy_ during their mission against Saren, she couldn't imagine a krogan father earning such adoration from their daughter.

Liara had to ask, "Your father, my...grandfather...how did he treat you and I suppose I should call her grandmother, growing up?"

Aethyta again looked sad and conflicted at the words. After taking another shot and sighing she explained, "Well, that's not exactly an easy question to answer. You see, contrary to what most of the galaxy thinks about the krogan, they're actually some of the best and most kind, loving, and nurturing people you will ever meet. At least when it comes to their families. Even before they turned Tuchanka into a radioactive wasteland, they valued family and tight knit communities above everything else. To them, children and mates are the most important things in all of existence. Dad was…"

Aethyta looked wistful as she told Liara, "Dad was always kind. Never short, angry, or harsh. To me or mom. He loved us both with all he had. He was always there for me growing up, always giving me advice, comfort, or even just to talk. I've never forgotten what he was like, and he's been my main model for how I've," the elder asari paused briefly and looked ashamed as she said, "raised my own children."

Liara nodded, her face expressionless, and Aethyta continued, "Mom was great too though, don't get me wrong. She was actually a lot like me: tough, didn't take shit from anyone, always ready to knock someone out if they pissed her off. Seems they were perfect for each other."

Aethyta let out a sad sigh, "Until some ugly truth came out. You see, mom and dad were both warriors in their younger years. When dad was real young he fought in the Rachni war, and again later in the Rebellion. A war which mom also fought in."

Liara straightened a bit in her seat, "Oh."

Aethyta nodded, "Yeah, oh. Dad boasted a lot about his experiences, but mom stayed quiet and tried to hide her own service history for all our sakes. She did a pretty good job too, until one day dad found out. Not sure how; never did get the whole story. Anyway, when I was about a century old and shaking my ass in some sleazy bar not too different from this one, I got a call on the Link from my parents explaining the situation. They said that they were...were going to have it out, and that no matter what happened, I'd love whichever one survived."

Liara gasped slightly, "They...they would throw away their lives over a war centuries done? Why?"

Aethyta shrugged after taking a shot, "Dad was a pretty bitter bastard about the war, even for a krogan. Don't know if it was the fact mom kept it from him for all those years or the fact she was in it at all, but knowing how dad felt about it, I really wasn't all that surprised."

After a few seconds of awkward silence Liara tentatively asked, "Which...which one was the victor?"

Aethyta said in a voice devoid of all emotion, "Neither. Paramedics found both of them dead at the scene."

Liara was visibly shaken at the news. Aethyta sighed again as she refilled her glass, "I know, right? What a kick in the quad that was."

After taking another shot Aethyta went on, "I was a real mess after that for about 50 years. I did every kind of drug there was, slept with I don't even remember how many people, and did some pretty fucked up things when I joined a mercenary unit. It wasn't until I was about 160 that I finally got over myself and got my head out of my ass long enough to start acting like a normal person again."

Liara slowly nodded and stated in a sad voice, "That...that would truly be a horrible thing to live with, knowing your parents killed each other."

 _But not nearly as horrible as some of the things I've had to do…_

Aethyta nodded, "Yeah well, it's an old scar. Not the only one I've gotten, let me tell ya. Anyway, after that whole fucked up chapter of my life, I actually managed to find something good in the galaxy again: a bondmate."

Liara looked at Aethyta with a surprised and confused expression. The Matriarch smiled and said, "Yep, I said bondmate. I was about 160 at the time and in that merc band I told you about. We had all sorts with us; asari, salarian, turian, even a few hanar if you can believe that. It was there I met a turian named Quintus Vorenus, a piss poor soldier if ever there was one. But he was stable, for some reason had fallen in love with me, and I had no reason to refuse when he offered me himself, so I gave give him a chance. We left the group to try to make something of ourselves in the galaxy.

"Quintus apparently didn't have any clan, money, or very many skills, but he was a decent enough cook. We opened up this little bar and grill and, against all odds, we actually didn't do too bad. Not always easy, but we made it work. That lasted till he died of old age when I was about 205."

Liara couldn't believe what she was hearing, "You...you had a bondmate when you were 160?"

Aethyta smiled and nodded as she pointed back to Jessica, "Yeah well, it's not like you're one to talk with your Spectre friend over there _ad'ika_."

Liara blushed a bit and replied, "Things between Shepard and I...they are hardly typical and-"

Aethyta cut her off, "And neither were things between me and Quintus. I was in a bad spot; really we both were. Things were stable for me when I was with him. If it hadn't been for that spiky little fuck, I just might not be here right now, and neither would you. When he finally passed on I actually knew how to cope. I still mourned his passing and to this day I miss him, but I didn't let his loss nearly kill me like I did with my parents."

The Matriarch looked at Liara, "I'm not boring you with all these stories, am I?"

Liara blurted out, perhaps a bit too loudly, "No! I...I mean, no of course not. I wanted to come here in part to get to know you. Please, continue."

Liara meant it. She did truly want to know about the asari before her. These stories so far may not have been what had brought her here, but in learning about this Matriarch and her past, she was beginning to see just why exactly Benezia had chosen her as a bondmate.

Aethyta nodded and continued, "Alright, then. After Quintus died, I sold the bar and traveled the galaxy a bit. Took a few dead-end jobs here and there like most good little Maidens and pretty soon I was at the age when having a bondmate was a social requirement. I honestly couldn't tell you how I met my next two bondmates, but that's about the only thing I don't remember about them. I raised three amazing kids with them and-"

Liara cut her off as she blurted out in disbelief, "Wait! I...I have Half-Sisters?"

Aethyta nodded and Liara stared off into space and muttered aloud to herself, "All...all this time I thought I was alone. I have Half-sisters, people who...who might have actually _liked_ me and been there for me and I didn't even know."

The younger asari looked back up at her father and said apologetically, "I'm sorry it's just," Liara looked down at the bar for a moment, "it's just a lot to take in; learning you have siblings when you grew up alone. I know I probably have _nothing_ in common with them, but even still, I wish I could have known the growing up. It...would have made things easier for me."

Aethyta nodded, "I understand. Believe me I wish you could have met them too; I just know you would liked them. Do you want me to continue?"

Liara nodded and her father smiled fondly as she revealed the details about her Matron years. She spoke of how she was bonded to a Hanar and raised two kids with him. Both were more than a little difficult to raise, and were now in their middle Matron years with children of their own.

Claudia was a computer technician who had bonded to a salarian who had passed away two decades prior. She was apparently trying to find a new bondmate, or at the very least a lover, but that was proving difficult with two children in their early 30's that she was now the sole parent of and a demanding work schedule.

Apsaras was...of a different breed one might say. Aethyta explained her middle child was more than a bit unstable, often bursting into tears over trivial matters or engaging in fist fights at the slightest provocation. She had been barely able to hold down a job for most of her early life for more than half a year. She was never a great student, and although she did get into college, it was only due to her great biotic potential. It was only after she met a Batarian of all species did she finally get enough control of herself to settle down, get a job she could keep for a while, and have a kid of her own that she began to act like a 'normal' asari.

After her Hanar partner had died, Aethyta had met and bonded with an Elcor. An unusual pairing, but not one Aethyta ever regretted. Like her turian partner, the two had been a stable and loving, if not always passionate, couple. They had raised a single child together, Derra.

She had been a fairly quiet and peaceful child growing up, though by no means stupid. She had done very well in school, was actually a theoretical physicist now of all things. She had bonded to another asari and was going to be a father in about a month. Liara was surprised but at the same time happy Aethyta seemed proud to tell that part of her story.

When Aethyta had finished telling Liara about her half-sisters, the Shadow Broker had a glazed over look on her face and was barely able to comprehend what she was hearing.

Aethyta noticed this and asked again with some concern present, "You sure I'm not boring you, _ad'ika_?"

Liara only stated in a numb tone, "No no, of course not. I'm just struggling to keep up with it all. It's a lot of information to process at once."

Aethyta nodded, "I got you, _ad'ika_. Believe me; it was exhausting to have been through. Almost as tiring telling it. You sure you want to hear more?"

Liara nodded and asked hesitantly, "Yes, and if you don't mind, would you mind telling me about how you met my mother? That is in truth one of the main reasons I'm here."

Aethyta looked solemn again and continued, "Sure thing _ad'ika_. Sure thing"

The Matriarch took another shot, took a few moments to collect her thoughts, and told her daughter of her time with Benezia.


	2. The Mother and the Daughter

**A/N:** _Ad'ika:_ Kid, lad, boy, sweetie, darling, son, daughter, child, etc.

* * *

Aethyta spoke, "Well, about 10 years after Derra moved out was when I finally started my Matriarch stage. I packed up my stuff, went to the Homeworld for the first time in my life, and somehow thought I had a chance of improving our society." Aethyta let out a frustrated huff, "Goddess was I wrong."

Looking Liara in the eyes she told her daughter in a bitter and jaded tone, "I'm sure you've figured this out by now, but I'll tell you anyway: our people are the most arrogant, lazy, unimaginative pack of liars you will ever care to find. None of my ideas ever seemed to impress anyone.

"When I was a Maiden I had wasted nearly two thirds of my life either banging everything that moved or in dead-end jobs that taught me almost nothing and contributed even less to the 'greater whole' that we're all supposed to be a part of. Most of our people do that, and I felt that needed to stop. I thought maybe if we got our people in good jobs earlier our society might progress and evolve a bit for the first time in about 10,000 years.

"We haven't had a tenth the technological innovation in the last 2,000 years as any of the other races have had in the last 200. Our military is pitiful compared to any of the other races. And no matter what anyone else tells you, art, philosophy, and sex appeal won't ever do as much for our species in the long run as will actually spending time trying to develop ourselves."

Aethyta snorted and remembered bitterly, "I remember I suggested once we should actually try to understand how the Mass Relays work and maybe build a few of our own. The 'wise counselors' back on Thessia laughed the blue off my ass. None of them took me seriously."

Aethyta, despite the obvious pain she was experiencing remembering those past events, managed to smile as she said, "All except one."

Liara instantly knew who it was, "Mother."

Aethyta nodded and said in a truly happy voice with a smile on her face, "Yep. Nezzie was the only one who ever listened. The only one who ever really understood what I was saying."

Liara recognized the look on her father's face as she spoke about Benezia. It was a look she was glad to say she knew very well by now, "You loved her."

Aethyta nodded and stated in a matter of fact voice, "Of course I loved her! She was so smart. Always thinking. Nice too; a Hell of a lot nicer than I am, in case you can't tell."

Aethyta's face made an expression that made Liara feel more than a little uncomfortable,

"And _damn_ that _rack_! I mean even before she got older just…" Aethyta let out a long whistle and shook her head at all her memories rushing back to her.

Liara, who had shrunk considerably in her seat and whose face color had completely changed to a dark purple weakly said, "You...you don't have to tell me everything you know."

Aethyta looked almost offended as she retorted, "What? Your mother was without question the most beautiful person I've ever seen; you should be proud of that. Hell, I can tell yours will get at least as-"

Liara nearly shouted, "Enough! Will you please just tell me about your time with mother and what happened between you two? I really don't want to talk about my mother's or my own body with a father I don't even know."

Aethyta's heart warmed a bit at Liara referring to her as her father, even though it was probably unintentional, and continued, "Alright fine, no need to go all Blood Rage on me though, jeez. Anyway, Nezzie and me were together for more than a century, and were bonded for most of it. She and me just...connected I guess. We both saw our people were in dire need of help and reform. The only real difference between our ideas was she wanted alliances with the other races while I wanted us to be able to stand on our own."

Liara commented, "Those two aren't mutually exclusive. Why couldn't you just try both?"

Aethyta sighed, "Again, those words of trying to make ourselves stronger were coming from _me_ , not Nezzie. Maybe if she had made the argument someone might have listened. I don't know. All I know is Nezzie had all the luck while the other Matriarchs just tolerated me for the sake of not getting on your mother's bad side."

Liara nodded but pressed a bit impatiently, "Yes, and all that is very nice, but what can you actually _tell me_ about mother? Why were you two together for so long and why did you not last? These are things I need to know! These are the questions I came here to have _answered_!"

Aethyta's face and voice saddened as she answered, "As far as attraction goes, I honestly couldn't tell you. Like I said earlier, we had nearly exact opposite personalities, but that might have been a big part of what got us together. Another might have been the fact that I wasn't like all the other Matriarchs who might have tried to manipulate Nezzie; I always was honest with her. I never lied to her or tried to be someone I wasn't. Nezzie was the only one to ever really treat me kindly when I was on the Homeworld. The only one to think I just might have had one or two good ideas."

Aethyta looked whimsical as she reminisced, "When your mother and me were together it was just...words can't describe it _ad'ika_. I have loved four amazing, incredible bondmates in my life, but _never_ have I loved a person with such intensity as I loved your mother. When we melded, everything always just seemed so perfect. So...so…" Liara's father was at a loss for a moment before continuing, "I'm not one for sappy emotional crap _ad'ika_ , but if I were, I'd say the time I spent with your mother was magical."

Aethyta smiled brightly and went on, "It was so easy to fall in love with her. That century we had was without a doubt the best of my life. Despite all that was happening around us, all the ridicule from the Matriarchs and my failing to really make any difference; I was happy... because I had her."

Liara leaned in and asked, "And then?"

Aethyta sighed again and shook her head, "And then it all came apart. What nobody ever tells you about falling _in_ love is that it's sometimes just as easy to fall _out_ of it. At first me and Nezzie started having these minor, trivial, arguments about the stupidest shit. The furniture, work schedules, frustration over how poorly things were going for us. Things one of us did that annoyed the other but had always just ignored. Later we started arguing more and more about shit I can't even remember. Wasn't long before we ended up having to replace large amounts of furniture every other week."

Aethyta shrugged, "Looking back, I'm not really sure if it was just a rough spot we were stuck in, our jobs finally getting to us, or if we just weren't as compatible as we thought. In any case, one day your mother made a suggestion that she thought would help us save our bond."

The Matriarch looked Liara in the eyes and revealed, "She suggested we have a child. Said she always wanted one, but just couldn't ever find the right person to settle down and conceive with. She said she thought she had finally found that in me."

Liara stared at her sire intently. This news, that her mother thought that the asari in front of her was the only person she thought worthy of having a child with, spoke more about what Benezia thought of her than anything else Liara could imagine her father telling her.

Aethyta went on, "I agreed of course, though I thought that I'd be the one to carry instead of her since it would have been easier on me. But no, you mother was pretty damn clear she wanted to be the mother. Said the one thing in her life she always wanted but never got was to be a mother. So, after a night of some of the most passionate," Aethyta looked at her daughter for a few seconds and sighed, "well, you know, you were made."

Liara nodded and noted in a sad tone, "I take it mother's plan didn't work the way she thought it would then?"

Aethyta shook her head, "Not in the end, no. At first though, we were happier than we'd ever been before. I was about to have my fourth, and Nezzie her first. I'd honestly never seen her as happy as the first few weeks after we made you." Aethyta's face grew very dark very quickly as she said, "Now listen _ad'ika_ , and listen good. What I'm about to say might be a bit hard to swallow if you take it the wrong way, so Don't. Your mother and me, we were probably going to split anyway, so there was nothing you, me, Nezzie, or the Goddess Athame herself could have done to save our bond. You got it?"

Liara only nodded and listened intently as Aethyta finished her story, "After the first few weeks of euphoria started to wear off, your mother started doing what she always did: plan. She was planning out every school you were going to go to, every teacher you were going to have, and every subject you were going to study. She wanted you to be every bit the leader she was. She wanted you to lead our people one day _ad'ika_." Aethyta sighed, "She wanted you to have everything, even if it wasn't what you wanted."

Liara nodded, numerous memories from her early childhood rushing back describing exactly what her father said, and asked, "And what did you want for me?"

Aethyta gave her a sad smile, "You remember me telling you about my dad? On how he taught me every living creature needs to follow its own path in life? Well, that's exactly what I told Nezzie. I told her she needed to respect whatever choices you were gonna make in life. That she had no right dictating what your future was going to be before you were even born."

Liara's father laughed a bit, "The biggest fights we ever had were over your future and how much freedom you were going to have in choosing it."

With tears again forming in her eyes Aethyta revealed, "The last one we had was the worst of them all. She made it _very_ clear that she wasn't going to tolerate my second guessing her decisions about what was best for you and your future. I told her that as long as we were bonded I would do my damndest to make sure you had every bit the freedom to choose your own path as I did growing up."

Aethyta stared off into the distance, an emotionless expression on her face, as she said, "As soon as I told her that...I don't know what, but something changed in her. I could see it in her eyes. She knew I meant what I said, and I wasn't going to back down. She took our bonding bracelet off her wrist, gave it back to me, and declared us divorced. Said she wanted me gone that day, and made it _very_ clear I was to stay the fuck away from the Homeworld, stay away from her, and most importantly, stay away from _you_. I guess she didn't want me fucking up her carefully laid plans and all that."

Liara, now nearly in tears, simply couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her mother, someone who had so clearly loved this asari with all she was, simply broke their bond with no warning? All over her plans for her child's future?

The Shadow Broker managed to say in a near sob, "She...she really did that?"

Aethyta nodded sadly, "She did. Like I said, she wanted to give you the whole galaxy, and it seems I would just get in the way of that." Aethyta managed to sound not quite as solemn as she remembered, "Before I left though, I made her promise me one thing. I said to her, 'If I ever meant anything to you Nezzie, you promise me you'll let her go her own way when the time comes. You cage her up and treat her like a baby bird, and she'll raise a hell of a storm with those little wings.' She promised, and I left that day without so much as looking at her again and...that was the last time I ever saw her."

Liara didn't even hear that last sentence however. She had simply lost track of what her father was saying after the last words of that promise were spoken.

Tears rolling down her face, Liara inadvertently blurted out, "Little Wing."

 _In an instant, Liara' nostrils were filled with the smell of blood, sweat, smoke, oil, and death. The room was freezing cold, the Shadow Broker could hear the sounds of gunfire in the distance, and the body of the person who had once been her mother lay broken in her arms._

" _Mother...I...don't leave!"_

" _You've always made me proud Liara."_

" _Mother…"_

" _Good night Little Wing. I will see you again with the dawn…"_

"Hey, you alright?"

Liara was taken out of her memories by her father shaking her shoulder, a concerned expression plain as day on her face.

Liara nodded, sniffled, and wiped the tears from her eyes, "Yes. Yes, I believe I'll be fine. Thank you."

After taking a few more shots to wash away the bad memories Liara asked, "So, what did you do after that?"

Aethyta shrugged, "I went and spent time with my other children, opened a bar here on Illium, and tried my best to forget about your mother." Aethyta sighed, "I honestly thought it had worked too. Until of course Nezzie went and threw her lot in with that turian fucker, helped get half the Citadel blown up, and killed I don't even know how many people!"

Clenching her fist and letting out a hiss Aethyta went on, "I...I just couldn't believe Nezzie would do that. The very _idea_ the person I knew would go out and…" Aethyta forced herself to calm down and said in a defeated huff, "It really messed me up. Honestly I don't think I've fully come to terms with it yet."

Liara remembered her own reactions to when she had first heard the news her mother had been branded a traitor. She couldn't believe it either. Her mother may have been cold and distant at times, but a traitor to her people? Not once did Liara believe it was true, even after hearing a former follower of her mother tell a story of how she had been corrupted and Indoctrinated. Then she came face to face with the being who had once been her mother on Noveria.

Those memories, the one of the fight between her mother and her Indoctrinated commandos and Shepard and her team, were firmly in her mind as Liara stated in a firm voice, "It wasn't her fault!"

Aethyta had a confused look on her face as Liara explained, "It...it wasn't her fault. Mother knew the destruction Saren might cause, so she tried to mitigate the danger he posed; try to guide him as a force for good. It...it did not end the way she had hoped."

Liara's face darkened as she revealed, "She and the followers that volunteered to go with her were…" Liara paused, unsure how to properly explain Indoctrination before continuing, "They were all brainwashed, for lack of a better term. Forced to obey a will that was not their own. Their actions were not of their own choosing, nor did any of them deserve the end they met."

Aethyta had a doubtful look on her face, "Really? And how exactly do you know that?"

Liara sighed, did her best to push the pain she was feeling away, and answered in a dead, emotionless voice as she looked her father in the eyes, "Because she told me so right before she died."

Aethyta was not shocked easily, but those words made her nearly forget to breath. Her daughter was there when Nezzie was killed? How? Why?

In a voice barely above a whisper Aethyta asked, "Really? You...you were there when she…?"

Liara only nodded, a solemn expression on her face.

Aethyta ventured in a whisper, unsure if she truly wanted to know, "How um...how did she die?"

Liara hid her pain at the thought of that fateful day well as she told her father as much of the truth as she could bear to in a shaky voice, "In my arms. Her last words were that she was proud of me."

Liara did not tell her father that it had been _her_ that had fired the shots that had ended her mother's life. That was a fact she never spoke of to anyone, not even those who were there that day. It was a wound that Liara doubted would ever fully heal. A part of her didn't want it to. If it healed and she accepted it, what did that say about her?

 _What kind of a monster would kill their own mother and be able to truly live with herself afterward?_

Liara knew objectively that there had been no other options. That if it hadn't been her, it would have been someone else, and the result would have been the same. That didn't make her feel any better.

Shaking the memories from her head, Liara looked up at her father again. She seemed saddened at such news, but also strangely relieved.

The Matriarch spoke in a choked up voice, "All...all this time I've blamed her for what happened. What you just said, it's the truth? Nezzie really didn't lose her mind and turn evil?"

Liara nodded, "It's the truth father. Mother never wanted to be a part of Saren's plans. If...if we ever get better acquainted, I will tell you the entire story. For now though, just take strength from the fact the asari you loved _wasn't_ the monster our people now believe her to be. She was a kind, good, gentle person. A person who loved her people and only wanted to protect them." Liara added, more to herself than her father, "That is what I tell myself every time I hear another speak ill of her."

Aethyta was again on the edge of tears as she said shaking her head, "And to think I ever doubted her. 1000 years old and I still don't know crap. Thanks for telling me _ad'ika_. It...it...just thank you."

Liara managed a small smile at seeing her father at least somewhat relieved, "You're welcome."

Aethyta sighed again, wiped the moisture from her eyes, and said, "Well, that's all there is to really say about me and your mother. Mind telling me a bit about yourself?"

Liara was a bit surprised by that, "What? Me? There's really nothing I could tell you that I'm sure you haven't found out yourself with all the attention the galactic media focused on me in the year following the Battle of the Citadel."

Aethyta smirked a bit, "Yeah well, you and I both know the news has as much truth in it as a volus has generosity. I wasn't ever there for you growing up, and I really should have been. I've always regretted that, even though it probably would have been pure Hell for you if I had been around. Come on, at least humor me a bit."

Liara smiled and actually managed to relax a bit as she revealed, "Well, as I'm sure you could guess, I spent my early years on my family's estate back home in Armali. Mother would hire a large number of private tutors when I was younger so I wouldn't have to deal with many of the cruel insults children would have surely given me. When I got a bit older, I was sent to one of the best private schools available. When I was at home, mother would spend _hours_ with me going over news articles, interviews of various figures of note, anything to help her in preparing me to be her heir."

Liara sighed, "It was all so... _exhausting_. In truth, though I learned my lessons well and worked hard, I only ever did so to earn mother's approval. Approval I honestly can't remember her showing me until she died." Liara looked at her father and said sincerely, "I do not want to make it seem as if I ever resented or thought ill of mother. I didn't. I truly didn't. I don't want it to seem she was overly demanding to me or had too high expectations. She wasn't and she didn't.

"If mother failed in her parenting, it was that she simply didn't consider the possibility that I might one day decide I _didn't_ want to be like her. That I may wish to have a life _different_ from the one she had. I can't once remember her ever asking what I wanted in life, what it was that I truly found interesting and wished to persue. To her, it seemed almost a given that I would simply wish to be like her."

Aethyta nodded and looked down at her drink, "Yep, that was Nezzie. Always thoughtful, kind, and caring, but Goddess be with you if you ever disagreed with her." The Matriarch took another shot and asked, "So, how did you ever end up a Doctor?"

Liara took a shot as well, smiled, and remembered, "That is actually a bit of a story, so I will give you the short version. Long before I had completed my basic education mother and I had been looking at various universities with good political science programs. Most of them were on the Homeworld, but there was one in the Republic of Ostia, on Sanves. That one seemed the most interesting to me. It's a fairly small school in a relatively small city, and in truth I've never felt at home in a largely populated area. So, when mother let me choose what school I wanted to visit I chose the one on Sanves."

Liara blushed as she remembered, "When I got there I was by far the worst socialized person on the planet. I could barely speak to anyone there without making myself look like a complete fool, my social life was non-existent, and instead of trying to make friendships or enjoy my first bits of freedom, I spent all my time being the good little Matriarch's daughter and focused on the 'big picture' as it were by spending all my time preparing to become my mother's heir."

Liara leaned forward and relaxed even more at the memories of one very influential teacher she had, "Until that is the first day of Biotics class. My teacher was a former Captain in the Serrice Guard named Hildra Pruor. She-"

Aethyta interrupted, "Wait, Hildra Pruor? The Goddess of Death? The one who lead a team of four other troops in a days long battle against a company of Blood Pack pirates and won?"

Hildra Pruor was a war hero among the asari, especially to those hailing from the Republic of Serrice. Accumulating more confirmed kills than any other commando in history, she more than earned her the nickname 'The Goddess of Death.' Capt. Pruor and her team were awarded for bravery multiple times throughout her career. A career that only ended after a rather bloody incident with the Blood Pack. Afterwards she settled down on Sanves, bonded with a krogan, and became a Biotics instructor.

Liara smiled, "Yes, _that_ Hildra Pruor, though I didn't learn about her past until sometime after she had taken an interest to me. On the first day I arrived in her class, she seemed to hone in on me. Somehow she just seemed to _know_ my potential. She taught me how to be not only a better biotic, but a better person as well.

"She taught me to have confidence in myself. To always be sure of and in my own worth, identity, and to stand up for myself, especially when things are at their bleakest. When we had built up a good enough friendship, I confided in Hildra that I didn't want the life mother had planned for me. That I instead was interested in history, and uncovering the mysteries of the past.

"She told me I needed to do what was best for me, and not my mother. That I was my own person and my own dreams and desires should be placed before that of my mother's. I took her lessons to heart, and I eventually told mother my plans to go my own way in life."

Liara looked down at her hands and said sadly, "Mother may not have yelled, argued, or even tried to convince me too hard to stay the path she set, but I could tell from the look in her eyes she was not happy with me. She wished me the best of luck, said she would continue to pay for my education as long as I did well, and that was the last true conversation I had with her."

Liara looked at Aethyta, "In spite of how things ended between myself and mother, I do not regret that choice. I truly did love archeology, and had I not done what I did, let's just say the galaxy would be in a much worse state right now. Still, I _do_ regret never being able to reconcile with mother. We were both always so busy, and I imagine mother was very angry with me for some time for showing any sign of rebellion, even if she never admitted it. I always thought there would be time to heal those wounds after I had established myself in my field and she had time to process things. Sadly, it was not meant to be."

Liara sighed and shook her head, "But all those things are in the past now, and dwelling on them does none of us any good. I continued with my education, eventually earning my doctorate from the University of Serrice. I studied the Protheans for about 50 years until one day a krogan Battlemaster with a small army of Geth showed up on a remote dig I was on and tried to capture me. Jessica saved me, and I'm sure you know the rest."

Aethyta nodded, "Yeah, and then I heard you got into the information business. Just how do you go from digging holes in the ground to spying on people?"

Liara shrugged, "When mother died she left me everything she had. Which included an _enormous_ fortune, a large number of businesses and properties scattered about the cosmos, a few scientific research facilities, and also a large number of political contacts, spies, and secrets on many prominent political and military figures. It certainly made things easier starting out and opening up my home office back on the estate.

"As to why? Honestly that is another story best told later. Suffice it to say I never imagined myself where I am now."

Aethyta asked in a concerned voice, "But isn't that line of work a bit dangerous? Don't you think the Matriarchs are going to be watching you and maybe even _take steps_ to make sure you won't be a problem for them in the future."

Liara gave her father a smile, "Actually I'm not all that concerned. The Matriarchs are many things, but they're neither brave or bold enough to risk any action against me. I have a vast amount of secrets on various high ranking officials _I know_ that _they know_ I've made sure will come to light in the event of anything unfortunate happening to me. I am also, as you've clearly seen by now, in a committed relationship with the First Human Spectre. An individual who not only has connections to top level Alliance government and military officials, but also would most likely destroy large sections of the Homeworld in order to find whomever tried to harm me and would not face any repercussions whatsoever no matter how much destruction she caused.

"Add all that with the vast amount of time it always takes for the Matriarchs to do _anything_ , and I feel I'm rather safe for the time being."

Aethyta nodded but pressed on, "Fine, but you're still keeping at least a few dozen commandos employed at your estate, right?"

Liara's face grew dark once more, "Actually, I'm all alone back home at the moment. Aside from the rare occasions Jessica can come and visit in between her various missions at least."

Aethyta's nearly screamed, "What?! Your mother had _dozens_ of heavily armed commandos the last time I was there. What the fuck do you mean you're all alone?"

Liara sighed and revealed, "When mother went to try and mitigate whatever damage she could with Saren, she asked for volunteers from her commandos and household staff to aide her. The best and most loyal commandos and servants went with her while most stayed behind.

"When the news broke of her supposed 'betrayal' and her eventual death, well…" Liara looked away, "It was not exactly a safe or wise decision to be employed by a traitor, so the staff and commandos that remained stole all the valuables from the estate they could carry and simply left. When I returned home with mother's remains, I found a home that was nearly as empty as I was inside."

Aethyta was more than furious at the news, "They...they all just _abandoned_ you like that? All of them? Without even so much as a _fucking word_?!"

Liara filled her glass and answered before taking another shot, "A few of the gardiners stayed on long enough for me to say goodbye to them." The Shadow Broker smiled bitterly, "Actually, I believe they were the only ones who didn't steal anything on their way out. Mother did always pay them well; you know how she loved her flowers."

Aethyta wasn't amused, "And there were _no_ survivors from the group Nezzi took with her?"

Liara shrugged, "A commando named Shiala survived, though not without deeply regretting the actions she took. She came back to the Homeworld to see mother's remains scattered and helped transfer all of mother's wealth to me. After that she simply left to go back to a colony Jessica and I had helped save from the Geth to try and help rebuild it in an attempt to atone for what she had done."

Aethyta was beyond angry as she asked, "So you have no security or protection other than relying on everyone else's incompetence and the threat of your pet Spectre? Is that about right?"

Liara was actually slightly amused by her father's concern and said in a reassuring voice, "I am more than capable of handling myself father. Still, if it will put your mind at ease, I'll have you know that very recently I acquired a small team of soldiers that is more than sufficient to suit my needs."

Aethyta snorted, "Oh yeah? Just where the fuck are they then?"

Liara smiled and said, "Look around; they're right here with us."

The Matriarch looked around the bar and took a good look at the other patrons.

She did not like what she saw.

Aethyta hissed, "Uh uh, no way. No _fucking way_ are these dipshits going to be taking care of my little girl!"

Liara frowned, "They don't meet with your approval than?"

Aethyta pointed at her daughter and angrily stated, "I may not have been much of a soldier even in my prime, but even now I could be three days drunk, vomiting uncontrollably, and high on half a kilo of red sand and I could _still_ kill those five amateurs one handed. Not a chance in the Abyss I'm going to let them take care of one of my children!"

Aethyta stepped back from the bar, dialed her omni-tool, and spoke as she went into the back room, "Hey Allyna...yeah, it's me. We need to talk…"

As her father disappeared into the back of the bar, Liara felt Jessica wrap her arms around her waist, kiss her gently on her left cheek, and ask in a comforting voice, "Did everything go OK for you two?"

Liara leaned back into her bondmate, "Yes, and you were right: she is _definitely_ not a typical asari. Thank you for being so supportive Jessica, I do not think I would have had the courage to come here otherwise."

Jessica smiled and held the asari tighter, "Don't mention it."

A few minutes later Aethyta came out of the back of the bar, nodded to the couple and announced in a voice that was not as at ease as the one the Matriarch had left with, "Hey um...I've called a few friends. Commandos. Eclipse girls who owe me some favors. They've agreed to work for for you and want to meet us for dinner later."

When Liara saw the confused look on her bondmate's face she explained, "My father is not approving of my current security detail, so it seems she's 'taken matters into her own hands' as you humans like to say and hired some local Eclipse Sisters to serve as bodyguards for me."

Jessica pulled away from Liara, positioned herself right in front of Aethyta, and nearly shouted, "Eclipse!? Are you fucking serious? Those bastards nearly kidnapped an 18 year old kid, assassinated an _admittedly_ corrupt businessman, smuggled a...a lot of illegal shit on and off world, and wiped out a third of the workforce of a local construction crew. Just in the last couple of weeks! Why in _fuck_ would you _ever_ want people like that working for, or even anywhere _near_ Liara?"

Aethyta had a genuinely offended look on her face as she retorted angrily, "Not every member of Eclipse is a drugged out pirate Oh High and Mighty One! Just like not every member of the Alliance is a Messenger of the Goddesses. A lot of them are just regular people only trying to survive. Some of them are actually pretty good at their jobs. A whole lot better then this pack of morons you brought here with you."

Shepard gave Aethyta a disbelieving look, "And these commandos are some of the good ones I take it?"

Aethyta smirked, "Of course they are; I only give my children the best. Just wait till tonight _ad'ika_. I guarantee you you'll be surprised."


	3. The Guardians

**A/N:** Again, and special thank you to **Desert Sunrise** for all their help with the OCs in this chapter. Also, more vocabulary words! And finally, as a warning, this chapter might be a bit...choppier than usual. Please let me know what you think.

 _Haar'chak: "_ Damn it!"

 _Udesii:_ "Calm down" or "take it easy"

 _Ad'ika:_ Kid, lad, boy, sweetie, darling, son, daughter, child, etc.

* * *

The sun had already set by the time the party set out to the restaurant. The sky was thick with the flow of evening traffic, the horizon a brilliant rainbow of colors set against the glowing towers that made up the spectacular Illium skyline.

The group walked along the strip passing by multiple shops and restaurants on their way, Aethyta in the lead. Jessica and Liara followed close behind, with the five Shadow Broker troops all around them keeping watch.

Jessica wasn't sure about this meeting. She had faced Eclipse several times in the last few weeks, and from her point of view, they were pretty much all scum that deserved to be eradicated. She certainly wouldn't trust any of them to protect Liara any better than the troops they already had. At least Shadow Broker soldiers were loyal until the end. Eclipse was an undisciplined bunch who in Jessica's mind would run off the first chance they got if things were looking bad.

Coming to a stop in front of a small, well lit eatery, Aethyta turned around, smiled and announced, "Well, here we are." She gestured for the group to enter, "Please."

Jessica thought it was a bit odd Aethyta was being so polite, but she just brushed it off and lead the others inside, Liara right behind her.

The restaurant was fairly spacious, with several round tables in the center and booths along the walls. The room was well lit not only by electric lights, but also candles and oil lamps that were spread out over the tables and walls. Asari paintings, some consisting of random splotches of colors and others of planets or scenes of nature such as waterfalls or forests, were hung all along the light pink walls and soft music played in the room, giving a nice, relaxing atmosphere.

There were only five other beings in the room Jessica could see. One of whom, an employee Jessica assumed as she was standing near the front of the restaurant, was a fairly tall asari dressed in a dark blue shirt and black pants. She had no facial markings, light green eyes, and a lavender hued blue skin tone. The other four were spread out around the room, two sitting across from each other in a booth on the right side of the room, the other two in separate booths on the left.

The lavender skinned asari smiled as she saw the group walk in and spoke in a friendly voice, "Ah the famous Commander Shepard! Welcome, we've been expecting you. Please, this way."

Jessica went the direction the tall asari gestured, and was beginning to wonder just where these commandos were when in an instant a firm punch to her gut toppled her over, an assault on the back of her legs forced her to the ground, her hands were bound behind her back in a pair of restraints designed to hold beings with Krogan levels of strength. A knife was then placed to her throat as the human heard the deactivation of a cloaking device from behind her.

As she struggled to get her bearings Jessica witnessed the team she had brought with her get taken down in a manner of seconds. The two human males were wrapped in biotic light and first thrown against the ceiling, and then were pinned to the ground. The asari they had brought with them was assaulted by a physically large asari and knocked out instantly. The other two were apprehended in a similar manner as Jessica was and were on their knees with pistol wielding asari at their backs.

While all this was going on Aethyta had restrained Liara, who was struggling to break free of her father's grasp and was using such harsh language that Jessica, even as a career sailor, couldn't believe she was hearing.

As soon as she got a sense of what was happening the Spectre demanded, "Just what the fuck is this? Who are you people?"

Jessica tried to break free, but to no avail. The asari behind Jessica tightened her grip. The knife drawing a small bit of blood, angering the Spectre further.

The tall lavender asari from earlier stepped in front of Jessica and offered a sympathetic look, "I do apologise for the introduction commander, but Aethyta was _very_ insistent to show you just how vulnerable you can be." She stood a bit straighter, put her hands behind her back, and introduced herself, "I'm Captain Allyna T'Nira, Eclipse. I do hope this won't spoil your appetite; we've reserved the whole place for the night and have a big order coming."

Jessica huffed and Liara, who had finally managed to break free of Aethyta's grip, turned around and yelled as she flared her biotics, "This was _your_ idea?"

The Matriarch just shrugged, unimpressed at her daughter's anger, "I told you _ad'ika_ , you need better protection. Convinced yet?"

Liara let her biotics die down, but the look on her face didn't improve, "Will you at least allow them to release my men?"

The commandos took that as their cue, and let the four conscious troops go. Liara ordered them to go back to the hotel they were staying at after getting assurances from Aethyta there would be no further surprises in store for them.

As the two human males carried the unconscious asari out behind the two others, the group sat down at a large circular table. Jessica sat with Liara on her right and Aethyta on her left. To the left of Aethyta sat Captain T'Nira and the two asari who had been sitting together before, the other three asari sitting on Liara's right.

Putting a napkin on her throat to stop the bleeding Jessica looked to the Eclipse Captain and asked, "So this wasn't your idea then?"

T'Nira gave Jessica another sympathetic look and shook her head as she gestured at the table, "Not really. Again, terribly sorry about just now. This is more what I had in mind. Still, I do see Aethta's point; those people who came in with you were _far_ too easy to eliminate."

Jessica nodded, "Yeah well, can't really argue there. So, why exactly you signing up to protect Liara anyway? Aethyta just said you 'owe her some favors.'"

Allyna smiled, "Aethyta's been a real good friend to me and my team for a long time. She's given us places to rest after a long deployment, good drinks, and some pretty good advice when we ask for it," the Captain looked over to Liara, "So when we heard she needed help keeping one of her kids safe, how could we say no?"

Liara managed a shaky smile, though Jessica pressed on, "And just who are you exactly? In case you aren't aware, Liara's important to me, and I'm not just gonna let you anywhere near her unsupervised without at least knowing who you people are. Let's start with you."

Allyna shrugged, "Fair enough. Well, I was born 1796 in Serrice. I was an only child and never met my father. Mom and me stayed in Serrice while I was growing up, and I always loved physical activity. Sports, be they biotic or non biotic, martial arts, dancing, you name it I did it. I always got my hands on the best biotic amps available just to make myself that much better.

"All that paid off when I was old enough to go to university; I got an athletic scholarship to go to the University of Serrice. It wasn't long before I was Captain of the University Skyball Team. I got a degree in Business Administration, but was offered several positions by several professional sports teams."

Jessica gave her a confused look, "Really? Why aren't you a professional athlete then?"

Allyna smiled, "Believe it or not, being a mercenary is a lot safer. In that industry you have coaches and owners who care nothing for their players. They drug them up, drive them so hard in training they constantly injure themselves, and toss them aside the instant a younger or better player comes around.

"You always hear a story on the news on some scandal involving drugs, or sexual abuse on the parts of players, and while that is wrong, a lot of that is a result of management and poor leadership on the part of the team captains. The same things might be able to be said about military life, but it's not nearly as common as in the sports world."

Jessica took the napkin away from her throat and look at Allyna curiously, "Really? Well...shit. I never knew that."

Allyna nodded and gave a sad look, "Unfortunately it's true. Most of the friends I made in school that went into the professional league are either dead or incarcerated right now."

Jessica shook her head, "Fuck. I'm...honestly sorry to hear that." The Spectre cautiously asked, "Speaking of dead friends, you really don't mind working for someone who's bondmate killed a lot of people in your organization?"

Allyna sighed and shook her head, "You've never killed any friends of mine, and as for those you have killed, let's take a tally. You killed Captain Enyala I heard. An officer who executed at least five of her own subordinates that I _know of_ for various reasons, had a habit of taking _a lot_ more casualties than was ever needed for whatever job she was hired to do, and had no concern for collateral damage. No point in mourning over her death.

"I also heard you recently ended the career of one Captain Wasea. Tell me Commander, just what was she doing exactly?"

Jessica answered, "Smuggling I think. Why?"

Allyna nodded, "Exactly, _smuggling._ On _Illium!_ A planet where everything up to and including indentured servitude-"

A voice rang out and interrupted the Captain, "Slavery!"

All eyes went to the commando sitting next to Liara. She was an asari with gold colored eyes, light pale blue skin, and deep blue facial markings. The markings themselves were in the form of two lightning bolts as 'eyebrows' and wavy lines representing wind on each side of her face that angle upward across each jawbone. She also had a narrow stripe, called an 'Athame Stripe', centered on her lower lip and cascading down until it bareld rolled under the point of her chin. She wore a dark red robe and had her arms crossed.

The second asari spoke again, not angrily but forcefully and with a determined look on her face, "It's slavery Allyna, call it what it is."

Allyna sighed and acquiesced, "Fine Arla, _slavery."_ Turning back to Jessica Allyna continued, "My point is Wasea and her people were up to some pretty shady shit. Eclipse is better off without them. And any others you may have killed along the way," Allyna shrugged and said in a sad but steady voice, "It's just the nature of the job. People die in this line of work, that's a fact. If you can't accept that, you really shouldn't be here."

Jessica nodded, "Alright then. Glad you're so understanding. And that I didn't kill anyone you knew. Believe it or not, I'd feel pretty bad about that."

Turning over to the asari who had interrupted Allyna before, Jessica asked, "And just who might you be?"

Allyna gestured to the asari sitting across from her, "May I introduce Lt. Arla Selemi, my second in command. Say hi Arla."

Arla managed a small smile and said, "Hello. So Commander, you want to hear all our life stories then?"

Shepard nodded, "If you don't mind."

Arla sat up a bit straighter and began, "Well I was born in 1813 in a small fishing village on the coastal region of Majesa, which if you didn't know is a continent on the Homeworld that's mostly an inhospitable desert. There's a lot of eezo in the soil there, but there's so many impurities it's too expensive too mine. That means that just about everyone from back home has some pretty damn strong biotics."

Arla smiled as she revealed, "The beaches there are absolutely beautiful. My mom would take me and my sisters out to sail on our family's fishing boat all the time, and I developed a love for swimming, sailing, and the water at a pretty young age. Some of my best memories from when I was young are of my mom teaching me and my sisters to sail using only the stars to help us find our way."

Jessica nodded and asked, "So just how did you end up in Eclipse?"

Arla's smile faded and her voice turned to ice as she told the Spectre, "Mom raised me and my sisters with a strict sense of what's right and wrong. She always told us to do what was right, no matter what the circumstances were. I took her words and put them into actions and tried to join the Justicar Order."

Jessica raised an eyebrow at that, "Really? I didn't think many asari were interested in that kind of lifestyle. Why did you try to join?"

Arla shrugged, "Like I said, mom raised us to be good people and never to tolerate anything you knew was wrong. Being a Justicar seemed like it would allow me to try to do some good in the galaxy, so I joined. Or tried to."

Arla's look hardened as she said, "And then I saw what they were really like when I started training with them. All the hardships of training I could handle, but the lessons they tought? That the sins of the mother must pass to the daughter? That all who are guilty must be purged from society? That Justice is universal, and only can come from the barrel of a gun?"

She sighed in disgust, "I saw my instructors execute people for a lot of things. Things that ranged from trivial infractions to actions that may not even have been crimes at all. Hell, on my last day of training, I saw a Justicar gun down an asari who couldn't have been more than 40 years old because she stole a half-rotten loaf of bread! Bread for Goddess sake! The people on that planet were poor and hungry, of course they're going to steal food! What choice did they have?

"Killing someone because they're a violent, dangerous criminal I get, but...they just take things too far. If you somehow cross one of their sutras, you're dead. Doesn't matter if you've broken any modern laws, they kill you just the same. And if you get in their way they kill you too. Doesn't matter if you're innocent of any other crime, a police officer or a soldier keeping the peace, or just a random passer by. As far as they're concerned, you're 'unjust' and therefore need to die."

Arla let out long sigh, "So after I saw that kid get murdered by someone who was supposed to be _protecting_ them, I just quit. I signed up with the first mercenary army I saw, eventually found my way into Eclipse, and here I am."

Jessica sat back in her chair and thought about what the asari had just said. This was a side to the Justicars she had not heard of, but it certainly made sense given what she had learned about them so far.

Turning to Allyna Jessica asked, "Is she always this um... _passionate_?"

Allyna smiled, "Only about everything. Still, she's devoted to and cares about her people, and is actually pretty friendly if you get to know her. I've never had a more loyal friend or better second."

Arla smiled a bit, "Awww, now you're gonna make me blush."

At that moment the asari on the end of the row Allyna was on had her omni-tool go off, causing her to sigh angrily when she saw who it was. She was dressed in a tan robe, had dark blue eyes, and was a large and surprisingly muscular asari. She had deep violet skin and white facial markings on her cheeks that consisted of swirling, interlocking circles. Markings that at a distance looked like a sledgehammer and pick. She would definitely stand out in a crowd and did not appear to be a person any sane being wanted to get angry.

The commando next to the large one put her hands on the others shoulders and said in a soothing voice, "You don't have to-"

The muscular asari cut her off as she stood and replied in an apologetic tone, "Unfortunately I do." Addressing the group she said she would be back, walked outside, and could be seen pacing outside as she talked with whomever was on the other end.

Jessica turned back to the table and continued, "Alright then, let's uh keep moving." Looking at the asari next to Arla she said, "You're up." Looking a bit closer at the asari at the table, Jessica realized this must have been the asari that had been cloaked earlier, as she didn't recognize her face.

Pointing at her Jessica asked, "Wait, it was you who had that knife at my throat, wasn't it?"

The asari, a being dressed in a light green robe, had dark brown eyes, medium to dark blue skin and pale blue facial markings around her eyes and across her brow, smiled and nodded, "Yes. Sorry about the cut. I hope you're not too mad."

Jessica smiled and waved it off, "Actually I'm pretty impressed. Not many people could get the drop on me like that."

The asari smiled, gave a mock two finger salute, and introduced herself, "Sergeant Elzia Grassi, Infiltration Specialist, at your, or rather _Dr. T'Soni's_ service."

Elzia revealed, "I'm 217 and like the good Captain I grew up in Serrice. Only instead of a nice, fairly well off neighborhood, I grew up in a pretty poor working class district. It was a pretty hard upbringing. My father died before I even got a chance to know them and I had three older sisters who were always making my life a living Hell. When I was a kid my sisters would always tease me or steal what few possessions I had if I didn't hide them well enough. When I got older that graduated to taking any money I had saved up or whatever valuables I collected."

Jessica commented in a sympathetic voice, "That's pretty rough. If I could ask, didn't your mother do something about all this?"

Elzia shrugged, "She was so busy working to provide for us she was barely even _at_ home. To be honest, I can hardly even remember what she looked like."

Jessica truly felt sympathy for the asari as she said, "I'm sorry to hear that."

Elzia waved her off, "Don't worry about it, it was a while ago. Anyway growing up in a rough neighborhood like that you learn to survive, and for me that meant staying hidden. It was actually pretty easy for me to be honest."

Jessica was curious now, "Why is that?"

Elzia smiled, "Look at me commander, do I seem like someone who would catch your eye? Sure, by my people's standards I'm attractive, but my features are also so common that any description of me would fit at least 20 million or so other asari on this planet alone."

Jessica looked at Elzia and found that she was indeed correct. The commando was not by any means unattractive, but also so common were her features it would probably be hard for Jessica to remember exactly what she looked like after they departed through no fault of her own.

The Spectre nodded, "And so you joined Eclipse to get out of than environment?"

Elzia nodded, "Eclipse wasn't around then, but yeah, I became a mercenary, and not once have I regretted it. I made more money starting out than my mom did when she was supporting me, I found a good niche as an Infiltrator for whatever team I'm in." The sergeant put her arms around the two squadmates she had around her, "And speaking of teams, I don't think I could have found a better one than the one I'm in now. I love these stone cold killers!"

Arla smirked and told Shepard, "And she's not just saying that Commander. Elzia's been the heart and soul of our team for a while now. Every time one of us is feeling down or hurt, she's been right there to comfort us. She really loves and cares about the people she serves with. What's more, I don't think I've ever seen her lose herself. Every firefight, every battle, now matter how bad or dangerous things get, Elzia always has her head on straight."

Jessica smiled, "Well, I'm glad to hear you've managed to find something close to family in your life."

Elzia snorted, "Commander, to me the word _family_ has some pretty bad connotation. Family is the sister who beats you to get your last paycheck from the job you lost because it shut down. Family is a mother who is never around. Family is what causes you far more problems than it is ever worth. So no, I don't have a _family_ Commander, I have _friends."_

Jessica nodded in understanding as biotic light and the sound of shouting filled the room. The group turned and saw the muscular asari from earlier screaming into her omni-tool, biotic light flowing all around her. It was hard to make out her exact words, but it didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on.

After a few more seconds the muscular asari hung up, took a few moments to relax, extinguished her biotics, and went back inside and sat down at her old seat. She was still clearly upset, so none at the table attempted to speak or interact with her except the commando on the muscular mercenary's right.

The middle asari in the row, who was dressed in a black robe, had grey eyes, skin a tone of medium blue bordering on teal, and white facial markings that were a series of vertical lines resembling the spires that made up Illium's skyline on both side of her face, put her hands on the muscular asari's cheeks, turned her head, and kissed her.

The muscular asari returned the kiss, and the two broke away soon after. The smaller asari whispered softly into the other mercenary's ear, and the muscular commando having calmed down somewhat.

The violet skinned muscular asari addressed the table in an awkward voice, "Sorry about that. Family right? Anyway, where'd we leave off?"

Allyna said, "Elzia just introduced herself. Why don't you go next?"

The muscular asari nodded, "Alright. My name is Private Leria Reya, I'm 200 years old, and I'm from the Republic of Ulee, back on the Homeworld.

"It's a landlocked Republic, and the surrounding mountains and mudflats are rich in all sorts of precious metals, eezo, and ceramics, so a lot of our economy is based on mining and manufacturing. My family has been in the mining industry for generations, and that's where I got my first real job."

Leria sighed, "Now, don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with a career in a manual labor job like mining. It's as honest a profession as any, but it is also a _hard_ job. A _dangerous_ job. A lot more so than most pay isn't too great, and the health risks are terrible; even with the best equipment if you spend enough time in the mines, you _will_ need medical treatment for one reason or another. Cave ins are unavoidable, and injuries happened every day back home.

"So, when I was about 70 years old I told my family I was leaving for Serrice." Leria gave an awkward smile to Jessica and Liara as she revealed, "My mom didn't exactly take that well. She was pretty well established in the company we worked for and is pretty proud of our family's place in the mines. It's sort of our family's traditional occupation and didn't like the idea of me going off and finding another job."

Liara nodded and gave her a sympathetic look, "I can more than understand that. Exactly why did you become a mercenary?"

Leria smiled, "Well for starters it's a _lot_ better a job than mining. Better pay, easier hours, even less risks involved if you can believe that. Also, I wanted adventure in my life. Staying in the same city for 1000 years didn't really appeal to me. There's just so much out in the galaxy and I wanted to see it all for myself."

Liara nodded, "And how did your mother feel about you becoming a mercenary exactly instead of some other occupation? I can't imagine she would like the idea of her daughter being in constant danger."

Leria gave a bitter chuckle, "Actually I swear she was a bit glad when she heard I joined a mercenary army. I guess she thought when I first got a taste of how nasty the universe could be that I would come right back. As you can see, I didn't. Mercenary work is actually mostly about private security and maybe training other people's soldiers, only rarely about actual combat. I'm a veteran now sure, but most of my time has been spent on my ass doing nothing. Hence why I'm at the bottom of the food chain right now. Don't worry though ma'am, you're safe with me keeping watch over you.

"Anyway, I never had the urge to get back home. Nothing ever really changes there, and I'm actually happy the way my life's gone. So, as a result, things never really settled between mom and me."

Liara asked in a voice that held no small bit of remorse and concern, "So you two have never been able to reconcile?"

Leria sighed as her face twisted with conflicting emotions, "We might have been able to by now if she didn't shall we say," Leria looked at the asari on her right, " _disapprove_ of my current romantic partner."

Liara gave a confused look, "Really? Your mother disapproves of you having an asari as a lover? That's so common among our people when we're young I'm amazed that she would even pay it any mind."

Leria and the asari sitting next to her looked at each other. The asari in the center put her left hand on the table, and Leria grabbed it with her right. They interlocked their fingers and squeezed tightly as Leria said as she looked back to Liara, "That might be true if what we had were just a casual fling but...well," Leria took a deep breath as she squared her shoulders and informed her new principal, "Raria and me haven't exactly been _casual_ for some time now."

Raria, the asari sitting next to Leria, nodded with a slightly embearassed look on her face.

It all made sense to Liara now. Nodding, he Shadow Broker attempted to ask as politely as she could, "I see. Are you two…?"

Leria explained, "We haven't bonded yet, but we're not kidding ourselves with where we're going in our relationship. We're both just waiting for the right time at this point."

Liara nodded, "I understand. And...Raria, was it?"

The nearly teal skinned asari nodded and confirmed, "Yes ma'am, Corporal Raria Tesaya."

Liara asked hesitantly but politely, "If I may, what does your family think of this arrangement?"

Raria's face grew sad, the other commandos' faces all gave looks of apprehension as they looked back and forth between Liara and Raria. Leria put an arm around her lover and gave the Shadow Broker a rather nasty look.

Allyna leaned over to Raria and said in a kind voice barely above a whisper, "Raria, you don't have to-"

Raria cut her off, "No, it's...it's fine Captain. She has to find out sometime, right?"

Giving Liara a sad smile Raria revealed, "My family's dead ma'am."

Liara's eyes nearly shot out of her head as she stammered, "Goddess! I'm...I'm so sorry! I had no-"

Raria raised her hand to cut her off, "It's fine ma'am, really. It was a long time ago, and I've come to terms with it."

The commando folded her hands in front of her, took a moment to compose herself, and told her story, "I was born 204 years ago in the Solace Isles of the Kendra Ocean. Our main contribution to the galaxy so far has been our famous architecture. The main design of the skyscrapers here on Illium is all neo-Kendran style.

"Anyway, just like Arla, I was practically raised on the deck of a ship and learned how to sail pretty early on. I was a very good swimmer when I was younger, and my family would often go on days long voyages on the ocean. So, one day when I was about 50, me, my mom, dad, and my two younger sisters went out one morning.

"When we first left, the weather was perfect. Not a cloud in the sky or single sign of trouble, so we went out a bit farther than usual. On our way back though, things...changed."

Raria's face darkened a little, "The weather in that region has always been unpredictable, but what happened then has been accurately been called the 'Storm of the Century' by all those who lived through it. A tropical storm suddenly appeared, turning into a hurricane in a matter of hours. The water was more chaotic and violent than any of us had ever seen it, and though our ship could handle most storms well enough, it just wasn't built to survive that kind of weather

"We tried to get back to shore, but we were barely able to stay afloat. Dad was able to get an SOS sent out, but it wasn't long after that the ship began to sink, with my family still on it. I managed to get a flotation device on, but my family...wasn't so quick." Raria's eyes began to water as she said, "I watched as the ship went below the current. I knew then it was over for them. I'm honestly sure how I survived looking back.

"I floated for a day and a night before the rescue teams found me and brought me back. They said it was a miracle I made it through." Raria sighed and looked down at her hands before looking back at Liara and continuing, "I just...I just couldn't stay near the water after that. Truth be told, I haven't been on or even _near_ a ship, an ocean, or even a _swimming pool_ since that happened. I had to get away, and it wasn't like I had anything left there for me.

"I went to Armali, the closest Republic in relation to our Isles. I was too young to join their militia, but I was old enough to enroll in the local Commando Academy. It seemed like the best way to get a good job as far away from home or anything that reminded me of home as possible. "

Raria wiped the excess liquid from her eyes and said in a steady voice, "I did well at the academy, got a nice paying job not long after getting certified. Went from this army to that, eventually got a job offer from Eclipse. I got put into Allyna's team, met Leria, and well...here I am."

Raria put an arm around the muscular asari's body and went on, "I won't say I'm happy with the way my life has gone so far ma'am, but I am happy with the way it is right now. I have someone I care about, a job I'm good at, and if I'm lucky, a future to look forward to. As long as Leria doesn't leave just because her mother hates the idea of her being in a permanent relationship with another asari anyway."

Turning to face her lover Raria asked, "So just what did she say this time?"

Leria's face grew angry and she shook her head, "You don't want to know, and I'm _never_ going to leave just because she can't stand the idea of you. Got it?"

Raria nodded with a smile on her face, "Got it."

Jessica sat there stunned. She honestly had never thought of the people she'd been fighting against as anything other than 'bad guys' who needed to die because they were in her way. Now though? She was really going to have to re-evaluate just what she thought about the people she was going up against after hearing all these stories.

Turning to the end of the row Liara was sitting on, Jessica looked over the last commando. She was a fairly short asari, only about 1.7 meters tall. That also probably meant she was the youngest of the squad (asari never stopped growing). She wore a light brown robe, had teal colored skin, and had dark blue eyes. What stood out most about her however were her facial markings.

Whereas most asari's facial markings were usually just random bits of skin pigmentation, the midnight blue markings on her face were far too detailed to be anything other than tattoos. They consisted of a single circle with cross-hairs on her left cheek, a three ringed bullseye on her right, and three horizontal lines centered across her brow, each one shorter as they went up, forming a broad pyramid with a single vertical line through their center, flush with the bottom and protruding slightly above the top line, obviously representing a rifle's open sights.

Jessica was impressed at such a display as she pointed to the last commando, "Your turn."

The last asari smiled, sat up straight, and introduced herself, "Specialist Cyessa Tasia, squad sniper."

Jessica nodded, "Yeah, the tattoos kinda gave that away."

Cyessa smirked and shrugged, "What can I say? I'm proud of my profession."

Looking at Liara the sniper explained, "Well, may as well make myself sound interesting. Like the other half of my squad, I grew up in Serrice. Mom was a navigator on this cargo transport, and dad was a krogan who got a job as the main engineer. They met, bonded, and had me back in 2026."

Jessica gave a confused look, "A krogan engineer?"

Cyessa gave an indignant snort, "Not every krogan is a battle hardened, self serving mercenary, and I am honestly a bit offended every time someone seems so shocked at the idea of having a krogan dad with a normal job."

Jessica put up her hands in surrender, "Hey, I'm sorry. Believe me I've learned there's more to the krogan than mindless violence. I'm just surprised to learn there are krogan engineers out there."

Cyessa nodded, "It's rare, but there are krogan with higher levels of education and skills beyond killing. Still, most of my bedtime stories _were_ about epic battles, fights, and the like. Dad may not be a warrior, but he is a _very_ good storyteller. The way he would describe the fights, the wars," Cyessa seemed lost in thought for a moment before continuing, "It just seemed like he wished he could actually be living them. So, as soon as I was old enough, I decided that's what I wanted to do: go out, fight in the most glorious battles I could, and have stories of my own to tell dad when I got back."

Liara asked curiously, "And just what did your parents think of this idea?"

Cyessa shrugged, "Dad was pretty supportive, but Mom was really concerned. In case you can't tell I'm not the most gifted asari height wise. I was barely able to get into the University of Serrice's commando program when I turned 50, and a lot of people there, cadets and instructors alike, said I really shouldn't have been there. That I just wasn't going to cut it."

The sniper gave a smug smile, "I showed them all though. Every time someone told me that I wasn't going to make it, I pushed harder. Trained harder. There were days I was so fatigued I could barely do my laundry, but I showed them all. My biotics are well above average even when I'm not using amps I can find. My academic test scores were in the top 10% on nearly every exam, and to this day my sniping scores stand as the highest in the University of Serrice's history.

"I've won dozens of marksmanship contests all over the Homeworld, and I've got all the trophies back home to prove it. Every time I go on a mission I count up how many kills I get, and it's _always_ at least in the double if not triple digits. I _always_ come home with trophies, both awarded ones and others I've," Cyessa smiled a bit wider and paused a bit before continuing, " _Liberated_ from their former owners. And most importantly, every time I go home, I _always_ have stories to tell mom and dad."

Cyessa looked Liara dead in the eyes and said without a hint of arrogance or overconfidence, "You'll never find a better sniper than me ma'am. As long as I'm with you, you'll have nothing to fear from anything within a five klick radius."

Jessica smiled in approval and looked at Aethyta, "I like this one Matriarch. She's got this 'I really love killing' vibe to her."

Aethyta laughed, "Yeah well, don't let the bravado fool you _ad'ika_. She may act like she's a hard case, and she _is_ don't get me wrong, but she's a lot softer on the inside then she lets on. She's a natural artist; her drawings and paintings are the most detailed and lifelike I've ever seen, and I've been around a while. She's even not too bad a poetess if you can believe it. She's asked me what I thought of some of her work a time or two. It's actually really touching, especially the sappy romantic stuff."

Cyessa blushed a bit, " _Haar'chak_ Aethyta, why did you have to tell them about that?!"

Aethyta waved her down, " _Udesii ad'ika,_ I'm just making sure they know there's more to you than just killing things is all."

Cyessa sighed and looked away, "Whatever. Anyway, now that those introductions are out of the way, can we please eat now? I'm starving."

With that a series of containers were brought out of the kitchens containing various cooked meats, vegetables, and pastas. Drinks were set up on a separate table varying from water, to soft drinks, to various hard liquors.

After everyone had gotten a plate full of food and a few drinks Aethyta looked over at her youngest daughter and asked in a smug voice, "So _ad'ika_ , what do you think of your gifts? You're a bit old for me to get you a damned kakliosaur after all."

Liara looked around the room at the six new bodyguards she had been given and smiled.

Turning back to her father she said in a kind and friendly voice, "I think you're the best father a girl could wish for."

* * *

 **A/N** : So, what did you all think of this little exercise? I'm honestly considering doing a story with Aethyta as the protagonist, and even a piece about the Commandos and some of their adventures. Should I give those ideas a shot sometime? Please tell me in the reviews.

Also, I'm still struggling to find time to write, but as I said, the stories will continue! No matter how long it takes **The Unsung War** Will Be Finished!

Until we met again. May the force be with you all.

RED


End file.
